Blanching machine



Aug. 2l, 1934. D. B. BENHAM BLANCHING MACHINE Filed Deo. 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. /a A5 fNH/q/w E@ Ml A MM.

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 2l, 1934. D. B. BENHAM BLANCHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. .DAL 455. f/V//AA/l u f 0....( lATTORNE 5.

Patented Aug. 2l, 1934 VBLANCHING MACHINEl Dallas B. Benllam, 'Minneapolis Minn.

Application December 7, 1931, Serial No. 579,488

' 5 ieanuts which are split along a natural cleavage `line into halves. The lmainv objections to the existing commerical machines are that: husking 4is not thoroughly accomplished, even by repeated running of the material through 1a series of lmal chines; many of the nuts are crushed or put in condition whichprevents the sorting` operation usually performed after blanching, with a resultant comparatively large loss of material; the operation is comparatively slow; the machines are expensive torepair; and their use iseXpensive in that a plurality o f machines operated in sequence are required, and the nuts must be run :through Ithese machines more than once to obtain proper blanching. By the practice of this invention, these objections are substantially overcome.

Features of the invention include the use of cushion material `for the working face of one of. theblanching elements; the use of a comparatively stii but exible covering :for this compressible, cushion base; the use 'of a rotative or oscillative element in cooperation with the aforesaid element to assist in the `control Vof speed and idirection ofthe material, `so that the entire surface of each nut is acted upon,*whether regular or irregular; `the provision of means for adjusting theA spacing between the elements; the delivery of the material centrally of the elements and creationof asuction which removesI the husks at a point peripherally thereof; and generally all details ofconstruction aswell Aas the broader ideas vof, means'inherent in the general disclosure.

Objects, features andj advantages of fthe invention will be set :forth'in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application, and in said drawings i Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention; v Figure'2 is an enlarged detail of the -adjustin means of one of the blanchi'ng elements;

Figure 3 is aV plan section, takensubstantially on line 3-7-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan rof the cushionedl blanching element, viewed as approximately indicated by line 1t-fief Figure 1;l i d K Figure is a radial4 section ,throughthe cushioned blanching element, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and Y Figure 6 is an edge view of one of the corrugated plates of `one ofthe blanching elements. Referring rst to Figure 1: Numerals l indicate 11 claims. (C1. 14s-32) Y suitable legs which support a table 2. Upon vthis table is supported a motor 3,'-and a gear bo`x` 4. The motor shaft is indicated at-5andha`sthereon a suitable worm gear 6, Yand companion gear?, shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. f A fan shaft 60 extension from the gear is indicated at 8.7` The fanhas not been indicated but the casingis'indicated at `9. The support for the fan casing is not shown. The fan represents any ordinary type of suctiondevice. TheV exhaust is indicated 1% at and the Aintake at 11. This fan` is Vfothe purpose of creating a suction to separatehu'sks from the blanched nuts. The drive shaftfor 'theblancher elements isindicated at 15, and'has a splined connectionas at 16 with ,the gearA 'l-to- 7b permit it to Vbe vertically adjusted." Any suitable gearing may be employed for changing the speed ratios according to the character of the'work in'hand. t l

The numeral 20" indicates the blancher'casing @1,5 which issuitably supported by pedestals 21 (only one shown) in turn supported by table 2. Centrally of this casing and extending belowit visfa vertical tubular bearing 22 for the shaft 15. The bearingris `exteriorly threadedas at 23.--r Referring to Figure 2, the shaft 15 has secured'thereto for rotation therewith, one element 25 of -a ball bearing, the other element of which is indicated at 26 Vand theballsof which areiindicated at'27.

'This bearing may beof any preferred-formfield f8.5

at leastrthe lower surface of its outer element lis in frictional contact with the upper surface ofn'a tubularshaft support 28 in adjustable threaded engagement with the threads 23. -A lock-nut'Z-Q engages the top edge of the bearing support A`28 n@ to secure it against rotation afterA adjustment.

The splined connection of the shaft 15 with gear 7 permits axial adjustment, While maintainingthe driving connection.

, Attaeheafor rotation with theshaft at itsu'pf `per, end is a plate 30 `'which forms'one ofithe blanching elements. This disk has a depending hub 31 Whichtelescopicallyv engages -a tubular extension 32 of the box 20. By manipulating the element `28 (in this embodiment vertically), :100 the shaft can be lowered or raised 'to Vcorre"- spondingly lower or raise the disk for 'varying the spacing between the working faces vofthe blancher elements. Attached to the top-'ofthe disk 30 (see Figures`3 and 6) are a series of plates m5 indicated Vbythe numeral 35. Each plate is providedA with parallel ribs or corrugations 36. One side or edge 37 of each plate isradial with respect to the axisV of the shaft 15, but since theribs are parallel with that side, they are tangent with respect to a series of imaginary circles having their centers in the axis of shaft 15. This is a feature of the invention, although there is no intention to limit the broader aspects to the particular character of the roughened working surface of the element 30. It will also be understood that these grooves may be cast as a part of the disk, but they are herein removably attached so that others may besubstituted for them when they are suiiiciently worn. However, the function of the grooves is to prevent straight radial travel, as well as to prevent a too rapid travel of the nuts toward the periphery of the disk. As shown in Figure 1, the periphery of the disk is very closely spaced with reference to the vertical inner wall of the casing 20, so that the nuts can only escape at the discharge point, and after thorough blanching.

Referring to Figure 3, the nuts, after blanching,V

are delivered horizontally through an opening 39 `in the casing .20, and intoa horizontal conduit 40 rator (not shown). The husks are drawn off by means of suction created by the fan` `There are other ways in whichthehusks -can be disposed of, and the particular arrangement with the eX- ception `of Vthe elementsf40, 442 Vand 43 is optional. The broad idea is to manipulate or control the Vmaterial afterseparation so as to create suicient suction to cause separation between the huskings 'and the blanched nuts. It will be understood that itis principally'the mechanical actionof the blanching elements which is responsible for the feeding of the nuts toward the discharge point. Y

A very important feature of the invention relatesvto the construction of the second blanching relementwhich is herein shown as attached to a cover 50 of the. box 20. Placed against the lower sidebf this coveris a layer or bedr 52 of rubber. This bed is of annular coniigurationand is provided with a series of downwardly directed nipple-like projections 53, see Figure 4, which are suitably spaced. The stiiness, dimensions and spacing of these projections are varied in accordance with the character, form and condition of the article which is being handled. After adjustment of the plate 30, the machine can properly blanch nuts whichvary considerably in size. However, the projections ordinarily do not act directly on the nuts but are covered and bridged by a piece of canvas 54 suitablymarginally secured by ring 55 to the cover 50 at the outer periphery. At the inner periphery, the vcanvas is securedby a clamping elementvGO which has a vertical tubular extension 6l whose axis is colinear with the axis of rotation of the shaft l5 which extends outwardly through the cover 50. This tubular extension 6l is threaded as at 62 and a nut 63k applied atthe outer side of the cover 50 as shown acts to draw the element 60 to clamp the canvas in operativeposition. A suitable hopper 66 has its lower tubular end 67 telescopically engagedy in the element 6l;

The cover 50 is held in position by gravity. Its Weight, in the present embodiment, is about seventy pounds. It is free to rise in case of unusual obstructions, and thus acts to protectY the blancher elements against injury. Suitable handles 69 are provided for lifting the cover.' In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cushion blanching element, including the parts 52 and ,blanchen 54 are attached to the cover so that a vertical feed can be had through the top of the device from the hopper as shown. This cushion element 52 may, however, be carried by the element 30 and the elements 35 may be attached to the cover. It will be noted that the cover merely rests by gravity and if any clogging or undue strain occurs, relief is immediately had. Moreover, it is very convenient to remove the cover for inspection purposes.

One of the salient features of the invention is the use of compressible elastic material like rubber over which is spread a canvas or equivalent flexible non-elastic fabric, and. this is a feature of the invention irrespective of the use of the projections 53. However, the use of the nipples is a very valuable feature, either alone or in combination with the particular arrangement of the ribs 36.

Thenipples yield or are pressed or swung laterally against their resiliency as the result of pressure transmitted through or by the fabric, by those .portions of the fabric which bridge the nipples. This tends to crowd two or more of the nipples in opposite directions producing a shallow irregular channel or rut, as a guide for the nuts causing them to be rotated and oscillated, so'th'at the entire surface is submitted to friction. The nuts are moved by frictional, rotative, and oscillatory action across thefaces of the blanching elements in a tortuous course and are fricl tionally'rubbed and completely rotated as wellas Vgiven frictional strokes simultaneously from opcentrally collected and packed. Y

It will be'undertsood that there is no intention to limit the device to the blanching of any particular kind-of nut. The most valuable application is for blanching split peanuts, but the machine is adjustable to operate on whole almonds, or peanuts and on various other nuts which have husks.

Whenthe machine is used for blanching peanuts, the shelled and split nuts are first roasted, and then they are run from the roaster into the rAfter blanching, thenuts are picked to remove the objectionable portion. I

In some of the old machines, triangular shaped brushes are used, fastened on a plate which is rotatable, the brushes being arranged on lthe plate as triangular segments with their apices faced toward the center of rotation. This type of machine is quite objectionable because the brushes soon become clogged with the oily meal and with the husks so that the brushesslide over the nuts without removing the husks. Moreover, the brushes lose their, stiffness and it is necessary to replace themgabout every two weeks at a cost `of anywhere from ten to twenty dollars for each disk. Replacement of the canvas used herein costs about forty cents. Moreover, in cer,- tain older types of machine, the brushes rotate on a horizontal'axis (working faces vertically dis.- posed) and the brush and plate surfaces arev not arrangedin parallel relation but are arranged in downwardly fiared relation so that a very small .areaof the brush is actually used, instead of the Ywithout being blanched. T15.

- of the blanching or husking surfaces are avail- Y able,l and aroused and the nipple-like projections of the cushion surface act to give a tortuous course to `the nuts, which simulates an action of rolling, pressing and stripping the nut between the index finger' and thumb of the hand.

When brushes `are used, the `nuts in which the parchment orahusk is vmore `adherent are likely, because Lof the greater degree of give or :flexibility o-f the brushes, to pass through the `machine It, therefore, results because the smaller sized and more irregular shaped nuts are acted upon.

By compressibleelastic materia is meant, a material like rubber which will resume its` original shape after deformation.

In the present instance, the annulus of elastic compressible material with itsnipples is formed yfrom rubber by molding. However, these nipples may be separately formed and they may be apl plied to a hard base and may alone form the compressible elastic material; or they maybe made of stiff materiahand be so mounted as to yield A laterally and/or axially. The invention also contemplates the use of nipples orprojectionsfwhich l*are bridgedby the fabric and which are capable of movement beneath the fabric whether these nipples be of elastic Vcompressible material or whether they be so attached as to swing laterally from their points of attachment. Although the compressibility is a very valuable feature, any arrangement by which the fabric can be pushed upwardly between these nipple-like projections is broadly claimed. In this case, the fabric is suiciently flexible as to be pushed between the nipples by the nuts, sufficient pressure being applied by properly adjusting the shaft l5. Under these conditions, the nuts cannot be caught or broken by the projections but the projections' act to give the nut a tortuous course.

Separate claimed features are: the use in a blanching machine, of compressible elastic material with or without nipples; the use of elastic material with or without fabric covering; the construction of a working face `of fabric over compressible elastic material; the use of fabric which bridges nipples of any material mounted on any kind of a base; the use of a non-radial surfaced element in conjunction with any one, or with any combination of the above mentioned features; the feeding of the material centrally of the blanching elements; the utilization of a fabric clamping element as a passage for introducing the material into the blanching zone; the horizontal arrangement of the blanching elements; the utilization of a common shaft for driving the rotatable blancher element and fan; the utilization of the lid as a support for one of the blanching elements; the mounting of one of the blanching elements on the cover for the blanching chamber; the utilization of the gravity action of the lid as a safety device; the means for adjusting the shaft of a rotatable blancher element; and generally the constructional details disclosed, and suggested.

The plates 35 may be designated lead plates. They function to lead the nuts in a definite direction, and thus force them always to move outchamber. that in this case, the nuts mustbe run through `the machine more than onces By the use of `vthis device, as distinguished from those Y havmg brushes, the amount of hand picking is reduced j wardly toward` the periphery of the disk. rThese plates also hasten the action or motion by pre- Another advantage which the lpresent structure has over certain of the older types of machines, is j, 1 that there is no'possibilityof transferl of lubricatingoil from the shaft bearings to the nuts. In some types of machine, the drive shaft traverses the grinding chamber, and the nuts are so fed that they come into contact with the shaft. 1

Inasmuch as the oil escapes along the shaft, lthe nuts pick it up as they contact the shaft on `their way to, or even after entry into the grinding Moreover, when the brush type of machine is operating on nuts which are particularly hard to blanch, the brush pressure cannot be .made great enough because of the flexibility of lthe brush material and, therefore, the blanching is not complete. In the present device, proper y pressure can always be applied by adjusting the shaft 15 axially to bring the surfaces of the elements 35 and 5ft closer together. The brushes of these old machines are bent in such manner that the nuts are hunched so that many go through without being touched. With the present machine, bunching and over-load are impossible owing to the comparative rigidity of two blanchrrelative to the other, one of the elements having nipplelike projections,V and fabric covering and bridging said projections and Yactingasa working surface which can be depressed at points between the projections.

2. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly spaced working surfaces between which the material to be blanched is fed, means for moving one of the elements relative to the other, one of the elements having separate projections pointing toward the working face of the opposite element and laterally yieldable in any direction, said fabric covering and bridging said projections.

3. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly spaced working surfaces between which the material to be blanched is fed, means for moving one of the elements relative to the other, one of the elements including a base of compressible elastic material covered by flexible non-elastic fabric, said compressible material having series of nipple-like projections of the same material which are engaged and bridged by the fabric.

4. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly spaced working surfaces between which tlie material to be blanched is fed, means for moving one of the elements relative to the other, one of the elements including a base of compressible elastic material covered by fabric, and tubular clamping means passing through and securing the fabric to said compressible base in operative position, said tubular means being so arranged that material can be introduced through it to a point between the blanching elements.

5. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly faced working surfaces between which the material to be blanched is fed, means for moving one of the elements relative to the other, one of the elements including nipple-like projections and said projections being covered and bridged by fabric, one of said elements being rotatable and having a .working face formed by plural series of corrugations.

which are substantially non-radial to the rotai tive axis of the element.

6. A blanching machine having blanching elel ments having opposingly faced working surfaces between which the material to be blanched is fed, means for moving one of the elementsk relative to the other, one of the elements including nipple-like projectionsand said projections being covered and bridged by fabric which forms its working face, one of said elements being rotatable and having a working face formed by a plurality of series of parallel corrugations, substantially only one corrugation of each series being radial to the aXis of rotation, and the others being tangent to imaginary circles which have their centers in the rotative axis of the element.

7. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly spaced surfaces between which the material to be blanched is fed, :means for moving one of the elements relative to the other, one of the elements including an annular base of compressible elastic material, covered by canvas, said material having a series of nipplelike projections of the same material which .are engaged and bridged by the fabric.

8. A peanut blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly faced Working surfaces between which thel material to be blanched is fed, one of the elements having nipple-like projections formed of rubber and pointing toward the working face of the other element and a single piece of fabric stretched acrossrand bridging the free ends of the nipples, said ,nip-

'of fabric contacting and bridging the nipples.

'ples'being spacedlapart adistance less than the average width of the nut to be blanched.

9. AA blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly faced working faces between which theimaterial to be blanched is fed,`lv one of the elements comprising a solid base of compressible elastic `material having integral nipples, saidv nipples pointing toward the working face of the opposite elements, and a single piece 10. A blanching machine having blanching elements having opposingly faced working surfaces 'between which the material to be blanched is fed,

the upper element including an annular base of compressibleielastic material covered by fabric,'- the outer surface of which engages the peanuts, a tubular member passing through the top of the machine and traversing the annular base and -having a flange clampingly engaging and operatively securing the inner periphery of the fabric, ',195

"said tubular member constituting a feed passage by which the material is delivered between the opposingly spaced blanching elements. Y

11. A blanching machine having blanching eleples pointing toward the vother blanching velement, and a single piece of fabric bridging the Y ends of said nipples and being sufficiently loose 195 to allow the nutsA to be pressed between the nipples andmeans for adjusting one of the blanching elements relative tothe other, to apply sufficient pressure tothe nuts to cause them to dee'ct the' fabric 'between the nipples.

' `DALLAS B. BENHAM. 

